Wednesday, May 21, 2003

When my alma matter Miami University played Marshall, their long time rival, we had t-shirts made that said, “MUCK FARSHALL.”

It quickly became one of my favorite articles of clothing, in addition to a growing campus trend. And when I graduated, I vowed never to throw it away. I would wear it with pride for years to come, even outside of the stadium.

Today, a few years later, I was walking downtown on 5th avenue in Portland. A car screeched and pulled over to the curb in front of me. A man jumped out of the passenger seat, rushed over to the sidewalk and stopped me in my tracks.

“Hey Scott, where did you get that shirt?”

“Oh...uh....well, we made these back in college when Miami University played Marshall in football,” I said.

“No, you don't understand. I NEED THAT SHIRT. My name is Marshall! I’ll pay you 20 bucks for it! Fifty bucks! Anything!” he begged.

Marshall sure seemed sincere. But I loved my shirt. It reminded me of some great times in college. On the other hand, I had worn it for several years, and maybe now it was time to pass it on to someone who could use it in a new and different way. It was a tough decision. But after some persuasion and deliberation - and after he showed me his driver's license to validate that his name was Marshall - I took my shirt off and give it to him!

"Here...maybe you need it more than I do," I offered.

"Can you at least give me a ride home so I don't have to walk around shirtless?" I asked.